Dominion to expand solar in Virginia with Amazon
Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, recently announced major solar energy expansion efforts underway in Virginia in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), a unit of Amazon.com.
The planned expansion will add 180 megawatts of solar generating capacity in five counties across Virginia. Construction of the facilities, which are expected to enter service in late 2017, will be made possible through long-term purchase agreements between AWS and Dominion Energy Inc.
The new developments will expand Dominion’s eight-state solar fleet to 1,400 megawatts by 2017, including 434 megawatts in North Carolina and Virginia. Dominion also plans to pursue at least 500 megawatts of solar generating capacity in those two states by 2020.
The proposed plan follows Dominion-Amazon alliance’s 80-megawatt solar facility in Accomack County, which began operation in October. Developed by Community Energy Solar, it is the largest operating solar farm in the mid-Atlantic region.
The combined 260-megawatts of solar capacity that will be shared by the two companies will produce enough electricity to power 65,000 homes and businesses throughout the area.
“This alliance with Amazon Web Services will include the two largest solar farms in the mid-Atlantic,” said Thomas Farrell II, chairman, president and CEO of Dominion.
AWS plans to exceed 40 percent renewable energy usage by the end of 2016, with that percentage rising to 50 percent by the end of 2017. AWS aims to achieve 100 percent renewable energy usage for its global infrastructure in the future.
Additional projects include acquiring four 20-megawatt projects from Virginia Solar LLC and one 100-megawatt development from Community Energy Solar. Dominion will own and operate the facilities as part of the Amazon Solar Farm U.S. East portfolio.
